SEATTLE – Washington citizens who support law enforcement and officer health and wellness can now show that support on their Washington license plate. Washington State Fraternal Order of Police’s (WAFOP) Executive Director, Lynnette Buffington, remarked, “The Washington State FOP is honored to announce this campaign and being able to use these funds to finance meaningful programs to support officer health and wellness.”
Proceeds from this specialty Law Enforcement Support plate will go directly to support law enforcement health and wellness with a special focus on mental health. Washington currently has the Law Enforcement Memorial (LEM) plate that provides support for officers and their survivors lost in the line of duty as well as maintain the Law Enforcement Memorial in Olympia, WA. The new plate would focus on the much-needed mental health and wellness support for current and future law enforcement.
At the time of publication, it is reported that there are 197 law enforcement confirmed deaths by suicide in 2019, marking a 17% increase from 2018 statistics. Suicide is currently the leading cause of death for law enforcement, with line of duty deaths holding the second spot with 105 deaths in 2019 to date.
The state legislature requires the sponsoring organization to gather 3,500 signatures of support from Washington citizens eligible to purchase a plate. Individuals that sign the petition are not obligated to purchase the plate but could be contacted when the plate becomes available.
Supporters of law enforcement are asked to sign the online petition at http://bit.ly/LEOLicensePlate.
